New Orleans Gas Prices Drop

New Orleans Gas Prices Drop

At the B Express station on Elysian Fields at the I-610, it’s all smiles at the pumps

“I’m going to take advantage of it now, how bout that!” exulted Sandra Mitchell of New Orleans as she squeezed the pump nozzle.

A gallon of regular stood at $3.05 Thursday morning. A few gas stations around town have actually dropped as low as $2.89 a gallon.

The average price of gallon of regular in New Orleans now stands at $3.17. Last month, it was $3.40. Last year, it was $3.60. What’s behind the sharp and steady decline? Analysts say U.S. production is up dramatically while Americans are driving less during our slow economic recovery. in fact, the U. S. has actually become a net exporter of petroleum products in the past two years.

“I saw that down,” said Mitchell. “I’ve been running on half a tank. now, for the first time, I can afford a full tank. $3.05? That’s awesome!”

How long will these lower prices last? No one knows for sure.

As of Thursday morning, the lowest gas price in New Orleans, according to neworleansgasprices.com, was $2.95 at Sam’s Club in Slidell and at both the Fuel Zone and B Express at Chef and Louisa in Gentilly Woods.